Teaching

I have found I really do enjoy teaching at University. I have always considered being a professor, but now that I am getting some experience, I even love it more. Some of my favourite aspects of teaching are sharing a small portion of my love of geoscience with someone else, and watching the students actually get excited about something I love so much. I enjoy watching people figure out a problem, and seeing that little "light bulb" moment of the realization of how to figure the issue out. I really like to see people take pride in their academic accomplishments and successes, they are hard earned. This class (mineralology) is such a fun course to teach. There is such a huge component of hands on science. Everything from hand specimen identification, optical miscroscopy, and field science. It really is the course in a geology undergrad's career that forms such a fundamental background of all other aspects of the science. It is used as a basis for everything from geochemistry, and mineral exploration, to ocean science, environmental science and geophysics. I am really learning the course material as well, and feel I am becoming a better student and geologist as a result of my teaching. I would truly love to teach for a living. I have heard some negative comments about becoming a university professor, but I feel these comments are poorly constructed and based on weak arguments or one bad experience. I love research and would love to continue to research as well. Sometimes industry does not allow for much wiggle room, to pursue your own interests amd curiosity, but university allows for such curiosity studies, and to contribute to the furtherment of the science, and not just a single company or project. I would be a very happy person if I was able to elevate myself to a level that would allow me to teach upper division geosciences. I will always remember my first experience as a TA, as a truely important point in my life.